Plate and Goblet: A round-up of food and dining news

Fun food event coming up: The LFFHenrico County's largest food festival is coming up May 19 through 21. For three days, the grounds of St. Anthony Church on Sadler Road in Innsbrook will become a feast of food, music, and dance as the Lebanese Food Festival serves up Middle Eastern delicacies from shawarma to shish kabob.

The Lebanese Food Festival has been rated one of Central Virginia's best, and is among my personal favorites. If you like bubbaghanooge (lemony eggplant-and-sesame dip), this is the place to get your fill. And while not everyone is a bubbaghanooge fan, I have yet to meet the person who doesn't love zalabia (melt-in-your-mouth fried dough drizzled with syrup).

As always, the festival is rain or shine and includes live music, free admission and parking, and indoor and outdoor dining. Check out www.LebaneseFoodFestival.com or call 270-7234 for festival hours, menu, payment options and other guidelines.

Tip of the month:
A Citizen reader who describes herself as a "loyal customer" reports that the Brick Road Coffee Company recently opened on Shrader Road across from Henrico County Training Center. Located in the Victoria Station Building, the cafe serves breakfast and lunch along as well as sweets and hot and cold beverages. Details are available at https://www.brickroadcoffee.com.

Shout-out of the month:
In a thank-you to customers, Acacia Midtown reported that during the six days of Richmond Restaurant Week, the establishment sold 402 crabcakes, 505 servings of chocolate pate, 154 basil smashes -- and most importantly, raised more than $4217 for Feedmore. Richmond Restaurant Week was founded in 2001 by Acacia's Aline Reitzer.

Killa eats
In the New Eatery Department, Lakeside has added another restaurant to its burgeoning line-up of eateries: a fast-casual spot serving up quesadillas and nachos. Located at 6114 Lakeside Ave., next to the farmers market, Killa Dillas opened last fall and has quickly gained a following – despite a lack of advertising or even an official website.

KD does maintain a Facebook page – which intersperses charming photos of the owners' new baby among the menu items. Of course, the convenient location near the farmers market hasn't hurt business; neither has the proximity of Final Gravity Brewing, which is practically next door.

A few more new and somewhat-new spots:
A Taste of Nostalgia Cereal Bar opened last month on Parham Road in Regency Square. Popular items include waffles and frozen yogurt with cereal-and-fruit toppings, and milkshakes spiked with cereal. (For those seeking pure nostalgic bliss, the classic bowl of sugary cereal is available as well.)

Hibachi House has opened at 3456 Lauderdale Drive in the Shops at Wellesley, with a fast-casual menu of noodle dishes with veggies, seafood, meats, and tofu.

Chum Chum Onigiri at 9073 Staples Mill Road features Asian street snacks, Vietnamese small plates, banh mi, and onigiri (rice balls with filling, wrapped in nori seaweed), along with bubble tea, smoothies and pastries. Check out the Facebook page for pics of the recent grand opening. Although the website is not quite up and running for the Henrico site yet, it is a treat to visit just the same!

Getty chippy
Capital Chips has relocated its specialty foods and gifts market to Henrico County, with a shop at 5956 Brook Road. Established in Chesterfield County in 2016, Capital Chips Fine Foods and Gifts specializes in Virginia-made products and gift basket options.  Capital Chips also produces standard sea salt tortilla chips in-house, and is gearing up to introduce two new flavors for summer.

Jennifer Davidson, Capital Chips' owner and operator, notes on her website that the business grew out of her experience making chips while working in a Mexican restaurant. After she married, she began making her own chips to share with coworkers, friends and family.  While everyone raved about them, she initially had no intention of starting a business.

Then, Steam Bell Beer Works opened near her home, and Davidson and her husband stopped by. Noticing that Steam Bell was serving factory-made chips with craft beer and craft salsa, she brought them some of her craft chips the next day.  When asked how to order them by the case, Davidson realized this was the answer to a dilemma.

At the time, she had school-age children and was teaching in a neighboring county.  "I was leaving the house before they would even wake in the morning," Davidson writes.  "I didn’t get to make them breakfast or put them on the bus."

Davidson created her LLC the very same month, and Capital Chips was born. By the next year she was able to resign her teaching position and begin working on the business full-time.  Today, she does her own production, packaging and distribution, delivering and shipping to more than 130 locations locally and beyond.  More importantly, she writes, "I can help my two daughters begin their day with my loving care."

Read the full story at https://www.capitalchipsllc.com.

Blue Bee moving to Henrico
In the Oldie-but-Newbie Department, Blue Bee Cider is moving to Henrico from Scott's Addition. BizSense reported recently that the new owners of Blue Bee, who worked under the former owner for eight years, had been wanting to have a cidery of their own for some time.

Blue Bee's new home at 4811 Bethlehem is just off Staples Mill Road east of Libbie Mill-Midtown. Design plans include a front yard space where the owners hope to plant apple trees and berry bushes, and room for a deck on one side of the building. The new cidery is expected to open this fall.